Safety waterxgage



SAFETY WATER GAGE.

No.. 364356. Patented June 14, 1887.

15M i1 A.;

' l 5TH 'M P ./f) f 11\ 16 A l i 5 1Q- Witnesses. Inventor.

* UNITED STATESl PATENT OEErcE.

ARTHUR H. FOVLER, OF BUFFALO, NEW YOItK.

SAFETY WATE RGAG E.

lSPIE!CIFICATIN forming par-t of Letters Patent No.364,756, dated June14:, 1887.

Application filed September 16, 1886. Serial No. 213,713. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR H. FowLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Self- Closing Valves forSteam-Boilers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in self-closing valves forsteamboilers. Its object is to prevent the escape of steam or water ifthe glass tube of a water-gage or other device for conning the steam orwater in front of ,the valves should break; and it consists of anautomatically-acting stop-action valve, or valves'which'are instantlyclosed by the force of the escaping steam or water should the pressureinfront ofthe valves be suddenly released, all of which will be fully andclearly hereinafter described, shown, and claimed, y reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, in which I have shown the invention inconnection with a glass `water-gage as a suitable device forillustrating one ofthe uses to which the invention may be adapted.

Figure 1 is a vertical central section through the valve, valve-cases,and glass tube, showing also a portion of a boiler to which it isattached. Fig.'2 is a section on line A B, Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a sectiononline C D, Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 :is a section through line E F, Fig. 1.

The upper valve-case, 1, is provided with a screw-cap, 2,havinganut-section, 3, adapting it to be secured in place by a wrench inthe usual way. Its object is to provide the means for inserting the tube8 when required. I Theupper part of the case 1 is also provided with avalve-chamber, 4, having a valve-seat, 5. G represents the lowervalve-case. It is also provided with a valve-chamber 4 and a valve-seat5. At the bottom of the case 6 is l a small screw-cap or plug, 7,adapted to be valve-chambers 4, so as to give them a tendency to keepopen, or away from the valvescats 5, while the device is in operation.

Through each valve is an opening, 14, into which the end 15 of the arm17 passes. This arm 17 is mounted upon a shaft, 18, having the squareportion 19 adapted to fit closely in the square opening in the arm 17,and thereby holdit rigidly in its position thereon. This shaft 18 isprovided with a round tapering portion, 2l, (see Fig. 3,) the largestpart of which is small enough to pass through the square opening in thearm 17.

22 represents another tapering portion similar to the portion 21. Ittapers in the same direction, and is made of larger diameter. Thesetapering portions are adapted to tit in the bearings 23 24, (shown inFigs. 3 and 4,) and are ground so as to be steam-tight. lAt one end ofthe shaft or pin 18 is a nut, 25, for securing and holding it in place.At the opposite end is a nut-section, A26, .adapted to receive thehandle 27 when it is necessary to open or close the valve by hand. Thehole through the valves'is made long enough to permit a certain amountot lost motion, so as to allow them to be shut automatically bytheaction of the steam Without moving. the arm 17 should the glass tube 8burst or break and permit the steam or water to escape.

Itwill be seen from this construction that the valves may be operatedeither by hand or automatically by the steam and water, and that in theevent ofthe glass tube 8 breaking and suddenly releasing the steam andwater therein the full force of the steam and water will instantly bebrought against the back of thevalves and-cause them to move up theinhandles into the vertical position shown in said Fig. 1.

The object in placing the valves in inclined chambers is to cause themto keep away by gravity from the valve-seats, or to resist any slightpressure of steam or water, and conse- IOO quently to keep them open atalltiuies, unless closed by the sudden removal of the pressure in frontof the valves or the breakage of the glass tube, as above mentioned,whereby the full force of the steam and water is brought against them.

The objeet of the handle 27 is to provide the means for closing thevalves when the deviee iS in use, or to remove the valves from theirseats when the breakage above referred to is repaired, so as to leavethem in position to Work, and to allow the steam or Water to close themautomatically should another release of pressure infront of the valveoecur.

I (lo not limit myself to the use of this de viee in connection with aglass water-gage; but I have shown it in this connection for the purposeof illustrating` one of its uses, as it is adapted for use for otherpurposes in connection with the use of steam or Water.

It will be noticed that the inclined valveehambers 4t are provided withan opening at the bottom, so as to permit the end 15 ot' the arm 17 topass up through it into the recess or opening in the valves.

I elaim as my invention l. A self-closing valve set in a gnidewayinelinng` from the valveseat downward and provided with an opening, 14,in combination with a shaft set in bearings within the valveease andhaving a handle, 27,1'oro1ieratingit, and an arm, 17, the end of whichproj eets through the bottom of the valve-chamber L into the opening 14,and is made smaller than the opening, whereby the valve may be closedautomatically by the force of the steam or water, or opened or Closed byhand, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. A. gage for steam-boilers, consisting of two valves, 12 and 13, setin inclined guideways within the valveease and adapted to be open `whilein their normal condition and to be automatically closed by the foree ofthe steam er water when the pressure is suddenly Withdrawn from thefront of the valves, substantially as specified,

3. The combination ol' the tube 8, the eases l and 6, to vl'hieh thetube is secured, the inelined gnideways and valves 12 and 13, and asteamtight-1ltting` shaft provided with an arm for opening or Closingthe valves by hand, as and for the purposes deseriber'l- ARTHUR H.FOWLER. Witnesses:

Jannie M. CALDWELL, Janes SANGs'rnR.

